AGED APPRENTICES

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1473, 28 June 1912, Page 3

AGED APPRENTICES

A LABOUR COMPL'Ai'NT* DEPUTATION TO MR. L#jjENti«)Sf.. What was described as a' : ."iflsi{jra.iit attempt to bring the -ijiause. of: the Arbitration. Act into contempt: -.and. ridicule was brought under; - JtUe,, .-notice" of the Hon. G. Laurensoii |Jl.iiii-iter' 'fjj'n Labour) on Tuesday, by a depiifation re---presenting tlie • Union and the Federation tp:-.Svhjc.h';'.ilVal; union is affiliated. The deputatioivwaSihtrocluced by Mr. A. H. HiiidiniirshV-'MiIJ-.;,-and was ucoompauied by Jlr;;£D;iil'-liaren,: ex-M.P. • v::^:;^.:."

Messrs. C. Sienvrieht (presideht\6f ,th'e local union and of the Waddell, and H. Charmau (secrowry;/of ; the local union) spoke on ljehalfi.oKth-e deputation, anu\ explained ':that^-'a-'i'^'el- ; lington employer had employed': a-.manv:o'f: between thirty and forty ycars.'.6f.'.'ago>;nV an apprentice. They asked, thatstli'nijlaw;. should bo so amended as to.,.iuako--.siVclt.ai thing impossible. Mr. Charindn.-.iurged. that the Labour Department ghotild'.iiptifv: unions conccrucd when ;indenturesv'vfg'SK entered into. ' ■ .-lf?PAHfi'>h!'

Jlr. R. Burton (secretary .ibfi'.tti'e.Plai;-- , terers' Eederation) dealt with •s'oinb.-.Atlierj aspects of the Conciliation 'amloArbitniy,: tion Act. It was wrong, lio'icontejide'd,;; that individual employers should have power to jiients arrived at in conciliatioii.TproeM'.d-:" ings. This repudiation of antepinentsijjii- , .; volved ;\ serious waste of timcaiid-iiioiiey-;;. and aniotiutcd to a llngrnnt 'abuse iopthe'' Act: The agent who iippeiii'od side in a conciliation case, M.iv,:Bur.tiin;went on to remark,' should beVatperspn-v engaged' in the trade or .■industryScoig. cerneil. One man employed 'byftlliftvlMiH.. ployers' Association came; forward'-.".year,;, in and year out. Ho was employed: ;by:'. his association to pick out' if- were left to laymen to- decide,:;thcfa.Vj cases, settlements would be/'mucli'.iiioi-e , : , :. easily arrived at. As things.; was too much.law. "We are.quite.>ahs: : fied with the Arbitration ; Act*.ami.its-; amendments," said Mr. Burt9jv-'-Ibiitvivm are not satisfied with its administration., g Mr M'Larcn said that nuythinß* ! that; the Government could Ido.^to-.-ensure;-that those entering trades,should:-'have', a proper chance of learning them;; would , be an advantage to the general'-., public , as well as fo the men engaged m' trades.-.' Nothing concerned and grieved him:; more in Imposition as Mayor than.to meet men who had a smattering of a tradpj:but,.lHi(l; no. trade. . ■ ' .-', :; ■£^-:.|S-- v C"-& The Minister: Tbat is right.j^j■;/.,:_ The Minister, in repbnng.'.said "that, this was the first time that ho-had.ever-; heard of a man being an apprentice i. : at; 37 years of age. He recognised tne:.;.aan-.. ger'of the position and the great danger..; that might occur if employers'were-ial-"; lowed to take in whom they ..liked and. while nominally paying 'a 'man' trades-:; men's wages, really pay very low , wages:,: This would be a gross injustice;;to-;-men; who had served their time. -He believed, that there was a section in-thcArbUra':. tion Act giving the Court power■■to;..fix;. the ages at which youths could :be;, a])-; prenticed. but ho would look tho position and consult the-law officers, of tho Crown. If. no legislation existed i under which the matter could be dealt, with he would lay the matte¥ before C;iV inet with a view to seeing what could'bd. done. ' The legal profession, engineerfe-,-in fact, any tnule or profession. in* the country—would be up in arms, about; the; sort of thing on .which .the. represwita's. tions of the deputation had. The secretary of the l , ederatioii, : ;..s[r;.; I/uurenson continued, had-" J eoniplaiiiedv that laymen had to meet, exp.ertii'i'flp-i pointed by the Employers'. Association'; , - This was not the first similaricomplaint. that he (the Minister) had heard;:.: ..There:; was no blinking at the .fact'.thai ,, -wheir the Conciliation and Arbitrati6ivf|v\ct; was first framed the whole ideal.was'tha't' the Arbitration Court should be: a Court, of equity aiid not a court qflegaUfoiv mnla and law. He would cndeavour;'to preserve this feature so long.as.vhoiwasMinister for Labour, and whether he.:held office for a month or a. j'ear.'.-He'.hoped.;', to deal lieit month with tho matter sraisi; ,, ed.by the deputation, if tlie Governpicnt.' remained in power so long. As 'to,..'agree.rJ. nients, no man save an-ansrohist ; or-ii': madman would say that nnythinjiought; to be done to tamper with.'.ani.Cagree;' ment honestly entered into .between;;: byS.; parties. Finally the Jlinistei ,v ''proini;e..tl : : to notify Mr. Charmon. when..almi:lw(l dealt fully with tlie matteM'raise<l;by:,t.lie s deputation. -. ■ ■' "'£-'X~,*i~y' : : ■ ■■